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Public Viewing of Poe’s Body
October 7, 2009 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Tickets: $5. All ages at the door.
Mr. Poe’s body will lie in state at his former home at 203 North Amity Street from noon to 11:00 p.m. The Poe House will be open for an unprecedented 11 hours to allow people to view Poe’s body. This will be an open casket viewing.
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All Night Vigil at the Poe Monument
October 8, 2009 12:00am to 7:00am
Free. Open to the public.
After the Poe House closes at 11 pm on October 7th the Vigil at the Poe Monument, located at the entrance to Westminster Graveyard, will start one hour later at midnight (the morning of October 8th). This will be the only opportunity for the public to offer their own eulogy or tribute to Poe. Assigned times will be given to people wishing to pay homage to Poe and it may be in simple spoken words, poems or music. The scheduling for this event will start in late September. A sign up sheet will be added to this website. People are welcome to spend the entire night if they desire. Poe related performances will be presented throughout the vigil. More details to follow.
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Funeral Procession

Sunday October 11, 2009 at approximately 11:30am
Free. Open to the public.
On Sunday, October 11, 2009, under police escort, Poe’s body will travel from his Amity Street home to the Westminster Hall for the funeral services and internment in the family plot in the historic Westminster graveyard. The procession will be led by the Loch Raven Pipes and Drums. Anticipated departure from the Poe House will be at 11:30 am. Mr. Poe’s casket will be transported in an antique horse drawn hearse. His coffin will remain on the hearse until the start of the 12:30 pm service. The procession is expected to arrive at the hall about noon. If you are attending the first service you may want to arrive early to witness the procession as it approaches to the hall. The procession route will be announced when it is finalized. There will be no procession for the 4:30 pm service.
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Poe’s Funeral
Two services: Sunday October 11, 2009 12:30pm and 4:30pm
Tickets: $35 in advance. $40 at the door. Ages 10 and up. As Mr. Poe’s death was sudden and unexpected exact details of the funeral are still in the planning stages. We can say that there will be two services to accommodate the expected throngs of people who wish to attend the event. The first service is at 12:30 pm and the second service at 4:30 pm. A number of people have been invited to speak and present eulogies for Mr. Poe. A list of confirmed speakers is listed below. We are awaiting confirmations from people in the entertainment, stage and literary fields. Not all speakers will be at both services. We are pleased to announce that beloved actor John Astin will officiate over both services. In addition to the speakers appropriate funeral music will be offered by:
- Monte Maxwell, organist for the United States Naval Academy (4:30 service only), who will play the 1889 Johnson organ,
- The Monumental Brass Quintet (12:30 service only),
- Popular soloist Paula McCabe (both services) and
- B.S.O. violinist Ivan Stefanovic (12:30 service only).

The following people are confirmed as speakers at Poe’s Funeral:
The Reverend Rufus Griswold (literary acquaintance)
Sarah Helen Whitman (former fiancée)
George Lippard (devoted friend from Philadelphia)
George Rex Graham (editor, Burton’s Gentlemen’s Magazine)
Nathanial Parker Willis (loyal friend)
Dr. John Moran (Poe physician at the time of his death)
Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle (author; creator of Sherlock Holmes)
Sir Alfred Hitchcock (legendary film director)
J.T.L. Preston (childhood friend, Virginia Military College)
H.P. Lovecraft (Author; "weird fiction" pulp writer)
Charles Bauldelaire (French writer and Poe admirer)
Narrator from The Tell Tale Heart
John Astin (actor and educator)
Gris Grimly (illustrator and filmmaker)
Ellen Datlow (science fiction, horror and fantasy editor)
Mark Redfield (actor and filmmaker)